A Happy Fuzzy Blog

Gratitude

Every day I think of what I'm grateful for.  Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share my extra long list with you.

1. my so very sweet boyfriend
2. the Zen Buddhist Temple
3. my wonderful business partner Susan, who's good at doing things I'm not, and is so creative!
4. all of my friends
5. knitting
6. spinning
7. my spinning wheel
8. that I still have a job
9. that I have a home
10. that I've managed to go this long without turning my furnace on (though I don't think I'll be able to go much longer)
11. my comfortable bed with warm covers
12. my hot water bottle
13. tea
14. wool
15. sheep
16. color
17. the kind people who buy my yarn and fiber
18. clean water right from my faucet
19. my rabbits
20. rabbits everywhere
21. thrift stores
22. tofu and veggies in peanut sauce
23. chana masala
24. apples (especially Fuji and Gala!)
25. my computer
26. the internet
27. every day I don't have a migraine
28. Havi (and Selma!)
29. that I finally had the guts to cut my hair really short (I cut it 1/4" long a couple weeks ago.  It's grown a bit since then.  I got my camera out to take a picture, but my battery is dead.)
30. that I can wear hats without them messing up my hair now. 
31. hats!
32. oatmeal.  I always thought I didn't like oatmeal, but it turns out I just wasn't cooking it right.
33. raisins
34. Knitty
35. Ravelry
36. Artisan Knitworks
37. trees
38. chipmunks
39. hummingbirds
40. AATA
41. yoga
42. raspberries
43. chickpeas
44. falafel
45. hummus
46. tabbouleh
47. moo shu vegetables
48. ducks
49. ferns
50. daffodils
51. the worms in my compost bin
52. the worms in my garden
53. that I can walk
54. that I can see
55. that I can hear
56. that my brain works, mostly
57. laughter
58. squirrels
59. butterflies
60. dragonflies
61. damselflies
62. fireflies
63. bees
64. sedum
65. purple coneflowers
66. goldfinches
67. black-eyed susans
68. woodpeckers
69. chickadees
70. Skin Horse
71. Narbonic
72. Sheldon
73. Unshelved
74. Everyday Heroes
75. beautiful fall foliage
76. rivers
77. frogs
78. turtles
79. swans
80. herons
81. geese
82. all the friendly cats in my life
83. all the friendly dogs I know
84. garlic
85. tomatoes
86. eggplant
87. good bread
88. meditation
89. being alive
90. whoever invented knitting
91. whoever figured out how to knit socks.  Seriously.  Whoever figured out how to do heels for the first time was a genius.
92. ginger
93. vegan carrot cake
94. bagels
95. peanut butter
96. rice noodles
97. rice
98. my stove
99. sidewalks
100. sleep

And that's what I'm going to do.

(Amazing how many of these have to do with fiber, food, and nature, isn't it?)

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

Once again it's Blog Action Day, and this year the theme is Climate Change.  Previous years' themes were the Environment and Poverty.  In many ways they're all interconnected, just pieces of a larger whole.

The climate is changing because people are using more resources.  Loss of resources such as forests means fewer trees to capture carbon.  And whatever way the resources are used, e.g., extracting the resources themselves, refining them, manufacturing products, using fuel for transportation or heating or creating electricity, etc., greenhouse gases are released.

It's obvious how climate change and the environment are related.  But how does poverty fit into the picture?  I'll get to that in a bit. 

But first I'll list some things I'm doing to reduce my carbon footprint. 

I don't drive a car.  This eliminates not only the pollution from driving, but also all of the pollution from the manufacture of a car.  I either take the bus or walk.

I eat a vegan diet and cook mostly from scratch.  The more processed the food you buy, the more energy went into the processing, and the pollution from factory farms is horrid.

I buy nearly all of my clothes at thrift stores.  By not buying new, I'm not buying the energy use that went into manufacturing new things.

I dress for the weather.  It's cold here now, so I'm dressed for the cold.  I'm trying to go till November before I turn on the furnace.  I can't guarantee I'll make it, but I've made it so far.  When I sat down to write this, I was wearing flannel-lined jeans, wool socks, a tank top, a turtleneck, and a wool sweater.  I realized I was still cold, so I wrapped a large wool shawl around me.  I've warmed up considerably.

There are other things, but these are the major ones that come to mind.  Do you notice what they all have in common?

I save a lot of money by doing all these things.  Frankly, I can't afford to buy new clothes, and there's no way on earth I could afford a car, let alone the expenses that go with driving one.  And I'm hoping to reduce my gas bill considerably by not turning the furnace on until I absolutely have to.

I used to own a car.  I used to eat meat.  I used to buy new clothes, and use the furnace much more.  And you know what?  I also used to be very deep in debt.  I couldn't really afford these things.

A lot of people can't.  The majority of the third world can't.  And more and more people in the United States can't.  The gap between the haves and the have nots just gets wider and wider.  And who do you think will be hurt most by climate change?  As sea levels rise and we have more hurricanes?  Just look at Hurricane Katrina to see the devastation inflicted on the poor.  I'm not saying rich people won't be affected.  I'm saying poor people will be affected more.  People who can't afford to move elsewhere.  People who can't afford to rebuild after their homes are destroyed.

Yes, manufacturing creates jobs.  I'm not saying that simply eliminating manufacturing would create a utopia. 

But I think we need to change the way our entire society is structured.  For one thing, why not make more buses and trains instead of so many cars?  A bus can hold a lot of people.  A train, even more.  Expand the public transportation system (creating more jobs) enough so people don't feel they need cars.

And shorten the work week.  If people worked fewer hours, not only would it create more jobs, it would also give people time to do more things like cook from scratch and grow their own vegetables (and actually have a life!).  

I don't have all the answers.  But I'm starting with what I personally, as an individual, can do.  What about you?

Business = busyness

No, I didn't forget about you guys.  I've been really busy getting stuff ready to send to Susan for the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, which is next weekend (if you're in the area, check it out!).  I've been dyeing yarn and fiber and making jewelry, and I didn't get as much done as I had hoped to, but I did get a lot done.  I'm sending the last box off to her tomorrow.

That means I can actually relax for a while and knit!  I'm almost done with my red cobblestone cardigan!  I knit it from the top down so I could get the sleeves the right length.  Both sleeves are done, and I'm down to the garter stitch border at the bottom of the body!  Woo hoo!  I'll probably finish it today.  Pics when I'm done.

My garden was kind of a bust this year, at least vegetable-wise.  The perennials did great, but the veggies never seemed to realize they were supposed to make food for me.  Never did get any eggplant.  The zucchini are about as thick as one of my fingers, and only about 4 inches long.  I have two tomato plants, one full of green tomatoes that look healthy but show no signs of ripening, and the other one that's had a flower here and there, but no fruit.  I'll have to figure out what soil amendments I need for next year.

But the raspberries!  Oh!  The raspberries!  I stood in my garden yesterday and ate so many sweet, juicy raspberries it was gluttonous!  Exquisite!  And there are many more still to ripen.  Oh raspberries, you are divine.

Oh, as far as online-ness (what?  It's a word!), I'm doing most of my posting on Facebook now, so come on over.  If you're someone whose name I might not recognize though, let me know when you send the friend request that you're one of my blog readers.  I ignore requests when I have no idea who the person is.

Amazing

This is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen.

Fairy Yarnmother is ready!

It's finally done!  I think I got everything (if you notice anything wonky, let me know).  We'll be adding a lot more over the next few weeks, but look!  It's done!  Yay!